Areas of Practice

Medical & Healthcare

Overview

Starnes Davis Florie represents physicians, hospitals, nursing homes and other healthcare providers in all kinds of issues, from regulatory issues to claims of malpractice and fraud. The firm has extensive experience in many different areas of healthcare law. The firm assists healthcare clients in many different areas of their practices, with a serious focus on risk management issues and the prevention of litigation. The 2009 edition of Best Lawyers in America ranked Starnes Davis Florie #1 in the USA in the field of Medical Malpractice Law with six attorneys.

As the firm's practice areas cover a wide range of services, it is able to offer advice regarding all legal concerns of the medical industry, even employment-related issues. Starnes Davis Florie has extensive experience with False Claims litigation, and the firm has been called upon multiple times to file amicus curiae briefs on behalf of the Medical Association of the State of Alabama.

The firm has tried more medical malpractice cases than any other firm in Alabama, which gives it the unique ability to see these issues with an eye toward possible presentation before a jury, administrative law judge, or other authority.

Specific examples of our areas of focus in healthcare litigation include:

  • Handling False Claims Act and Medicare/ Medicaid billing matters relating to fraud and abuse
  • Involvement in licensing issues, appearing before the Alabama Board of Medical Examiners, the Alabama Board of Nursing, the Alabama Board of Dental Examiners, and the Alabama Board of Examiners for Speech Language Pathology and Audiology
  • Representing hospitals and medical staffs in medical staff privilege litigation
  • Representing medical staff executive committees and hospitals in disciplinary proceedings
  • Involvement in Certificate of Need matters
  • Preparing hospital staff bylaws, policies, and procedures
  • Service on ethics committees at local hospitals
  • Assisting the Medical Association for the State of Alabama in drafting healthcare legislation, including portions of the Medical Liability Act
  • Frequently handling matters regarding HIPAA and EMTALA
  • Addressing compliance issues
  • Involvement in contract negotiations for healthcare providers
  • Addressing controversial medical ethics issues, including advance directives and end of life decisions
  • Handling numerous ERISA matters